England’s rugby stars proved they are not to be messed with after an ugly incident during their Six Nations win over Italy.
Steve Borthwick’s side picked up their first victory under the new boss as they saw off Italy 31-14 at Twickenham, claiming a bonus-point win in the process.
Despite some impressive performances with the ball, there was one incident off it involving skipper Owen Farrell, that caused debate on social media.
Just hours after UFC 284 in Perth, Farrell got involved in some physical grappling of his own as he tangled with Italy flanker Sebastian Negri.
Negri followed up a strong hit on the England captain by pinning him down with a forearm to the face, much to the dismay of boss Borthwick.
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The pair grappled on the turf as the play continued before youngster Ollie Chessum showed he had his teammate’s back by flipping Negri over, so Farrell could get on top of him.
ITV pundit David Flatman praised Chessum for his involvement in the incident, joking: “It is actually a good little assist, gets his mate back in a normal position.”
Farrell also managed to see the funny side in his post-match interview when asked if he would need to buy Chessum a pint, admitting: “Somebody has got to look after me!”
(Image: BBC)
Many rugby fans weren’t impressed with Negri’s antics though with the Italian facing a potential ban over the clash.
@Brutalstack posted on Twitter: “I like how he rolls them both over and pats Farrell on the back like ‘I’ll let you take it from there…’
“Whilst handbags and seems to be the norm these days, I’m not a fan of the casual fingers over the eyes by the Italian. It’s the sort of slight trick you see in the UFC.”
Those comments were echoed by @bobby_bridge who wrote: “I can see why Steve Borthwick is enraged. If it was Owen Farrell’s forearm in Negri’s face, you know he’d be marched back 10!”
Next up for England is a clash with Wales in Cardiff on February 25, with Borthwick’s side in third after winning one and losing one so far in the competition.
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